British experts have successfully bred a rare species of frog that is so poisonous it can kill ten men.

The blue poison dart frog is only 2.5cm long and is usually found in the tropical forests of Costa Rica and Brazil. But the species is under threat in South America, where their habitat is being destroyed.

Now animal experts at Walford and North Shropshire College have successfully bred one of the deadly amphibians in their lab.

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A blue poison dart frog, found naturally in the tropical forests of Costa Rica and Brazil, has been successfully bred at Walford and North Shropshire College

Despite its diminutive size, the tropical frog can kill ten men with a single dose of its venom

Simon Metcalfe, the animal technician who led the project, said: 'Although eggs were laid on several occasions, the students had been unsuccessful in getting the eggs to progress to tadpoles.

'They had always gone mouldy and not formed. After researching environmental conditions required and their breeding behaviour, a few adjustments were made and we waited for the first clutch of eggs to be laid.

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Until now the eggs that had been laid had gone mouldy and not formed properly. But after researching environmental conditions and breeding behaviour, the scientists were able to successfully breed a frog

The Blue Poison Dart froglet will grow to be just 2.5cm long when it reaches adulthood

POISON DART FROGS: SMALL BUT DEADLY

There are more than 100 different species of poison dart frogs and all range between less than an inch to two and a half inches in body length

They are brightly coloured to warn predators they are dangerous.

It is the skin that contains the frog's poison.

They feed mostly on spiders and small insects such as ants and termites, which they find on the forest floor using their excellent vision.

They capture their prey by using their long sticky tongues.

'Now all our research and effort has
paid off and our first froglet was moved out of water and on to dry
land, its metamorphosis now complete.'

A male and female blue poison dart frog were donated to the college by a student who left to join the army.

Once the pair had produce a fertilised egg, the team placed it in an inside pond, where it took 12 weeks for the froglet to develop.

The team of four experts set the water's temperature at 27C (80F), and lit it with UV lights, to recreate the conditions of the frog's natural habitat.

But despite the frog's fearsome reputation, the students have nothing
to fear from the tiny frog because it only becomes venomous after
eating certain toxic tree barks and insects in the wild.

The striking frog took 12 weeks for to develop. During this time it was kept in a pond heated to a constant 27C
and lit with UV lights